Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2022 Aug 1;323(2):H336-H349. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00238.2022. Epub 2022 Jun 24.
Aging is a nonmodifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease associated with arterial stiffening and endothelial dysfunction. We hypothesized that sex differences exist in vascular aging processes and would be attenuated by global deletion of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor. Blood pressure was measured by tail-cuff plethysmography, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and echocardiography were assessed with high-resolution ultrasound, and small vessel reactivity was measured using wire myography in adult (25 wk) and middle-aged (57 wk) male and female mice. Adult female mice displayed lower blood pressure and PWV, but this sex difference was absent in middle-aged mice. Aging significantly increased PWV but not blood pressure in both sexes. Adult female carotids were more distensible than males, but this sex difference was lost during aging. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation was greater in female than male mice at both ages, and only males showed aging-induced changes in cardiac hypertrophy and function. GPER deletion removed the sex difference in PWV and ex vivo stiffness in adult mice. The sex difference in blood pressure was absent in KO mice and was associated with endothelial dysfunction in females. These findings indicate that the impact of aging on arterial stiffening and endothelial function is not the same in male and female mice. Moreover, nongenomic estrogen signaling through GPER impacted vascular phenotype differently in male and female mice. Delineating sex differences in vascular changes during healthy aging is an important first step in improving early detection and sex-specific treatments in our aging population. Indices of vascular aging were different in male and female mice. Sex differences in pulse wave velocity, blood pressure, and large artery stiffness were abrogated in middle-aged mice, but the female advantage in resistance artery vasodilator function was maintained. GPER deletion abrogated these sex differences and significantly reduced endothelial function in adult female mice. Additional studies are needed to characterize sex differences in vascular aging to personalize early detection and treatment for vascular diseases.
衰老是与动脉僵硬和内皮功能障碍相关的心血管疾病的不可改变的风险因素。我们假设血管老化过程中存在性别差异,并且这些差异会被 G 蛋白偶联雌激素受体的全局缺失所减弱。通过尾套测压法测量血压,通过高分辨率超声评估脉搏波速度(PWV)和超声心动图,通过线描肌动图测量小血管反应性。成年(25 周)和中年(57 周)雄性和雌性小鼠。成年雌性小鼠的血压和 PWV 较低,但这种性别差异在中年小鼠中不存在。衰老在两性中均显著增加 PWV,但不增加血压。成年雌性颈动脉的弹性大于雄性,但这种性别差异在衰老过程中消失。乙酰胆碱诱导的舒张作用在两性中均随年龄增长而增加,只有雄性表现出心脏肥大和功能的衰老诱导变化。GPER 缺失消除了成年小鼠中 PWV 和离体僵硬度的性别差异。KO 小鼠中血压的性别差异消失,并且与雌性的内皮功能障碍相关。这些发现表明,衰老对动脉僵硬和内皮功能的影响在雄性和雌性小鼠中并不相同。此外,通过 GPER 的非基因组雌激素信号传导对雄性和雌性小鼠的血管表型产生了不同的影响。在健康衰老过程中阐明血管变化的性别差异是改善我们老龄化人口中早期检测和性别特异性治疗的重要第一步。在雄性和雌性小鼠中,血管老化的指标不同。中年小鼠中脉搏波速度、血压和大动脉僵硬的性别差异消失,但阻力动脉血管舒张功能的女性优势得以维持。GPER 缺失消除了这些性别差异,并显著降低了成年雌性小鼠的内皮功能。需要进一步研究以表征血管老化的性别差异,为血管疾病的早期检测和治疗提供个性化服务。